The Socceroos will take on United Arab Emirates in the AFC third-place playoff at the Al Rayyan stadium on June 8 and the winner of the tie will play Peru for a place in the World Cup finals in Qatar.
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Australian national football team head coach Graham Arnold has announced a 29-member squad for the upcoming World Cup Qualifiers in Qatar. The Socceroos will take on United Arab Emirates in the AFC third-place playoff at the Al Rayyan stadium on June 8. The winner of the tie will go on to play South American nation Peru in the inter-continental play-off at the same stadium on June 13 for a place in the World Cup finals in Qatar. Meanwhile the Socceroos will prepare for their play-off match with a friendly against Jordan in Doha on June 1.
Here is the full list for our crucial @FIFAWorldCup Play-Offs!
?? v ?? – International Friendly
Al Janoub Stadium, Doha, Qatar
2.6.22, 4am AEST?? v ??
Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium, Doha, Qatar
8.6.22, 4am AEST#AllForTheSocceroos pic.twitter.com/qDCRgfNr43— Socceroos (@Socceroos) May 27, 2022
Arnold has picked a strong squad consisting of the likes of two European club title winners. Ajdin Hrustic became a Europa League winner with Eintracht Frankfurt while Tomas Rogic won the Scottish Premier League with Celtic FC. Hrustic scored 2 goals in 29 appearances, most of them off the bench, for the German club across all competitions. As for Rogic, the midfielder was a pivotal figure in the Celtic lineup, having netted six goals and as many six assists in 27 league appearances this term. The players will arrive in Doha over the next three days as Australia attempts to qualify for a fifth consecutive World Cup.
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Local stars were given due recognition in the squad, with Melbourne Victory’s Jason Davidson earning a recall for the first time since 2015, while Craig Goodwin, Jamie Maclaren, Nick D’Agostino were also selected. Melbourne City wing duo Mathey Leckie and Marco Tilio will feature, while Mariners defender Kyle Rowless has been named. The onus will be one Rogic, Hrustic, Mat Ryan, Martin Boyle and Aaron Mooy to take the Socceroos over the line. Rogic and Mooy are the experienced lads in the midfield having a combined total of more than 100 international caps to their name. Mooy has 96 Premier League caps to his name having played for Huddersfield and Brighton & Hove Albion between 2017 and 2020.
The Socceroos didn’t have a great third round of World Cup Qualifiers, registering just five wins from 10 games. Meanwhile one win from their last seven games, saw them finish third in their group, while UAE beat South Korea in their final regular qualifier to clinch the position. Three Asian teams that have already secured their place in the finals are Iran, South Korea and Japan. The winner of the UAE-Australia match vs Peru will join Group D featuring France, Denmark, and Tunisia at the World Cup which will be held between November 21 and December 18.
In 2017, Australia beat Syria 3-2 on aggregate before getting the better of Hondura 3-1 over two legs to make it to Russia. Meanwhile this time around, the play-offs for the 2022 World Cup will consist of a single leg. Peru made it to the inter-continental play-offs after finishing fifth in the CONMEBOL qualifying. La Blanquirroja beat Paraguay 2-0 on March 30 which saw them edge out Colombia by a single point. Before the decisive match on June 13, Peru will play New Zealand in an international friendly at the RCDE Stadium on June 5.
Nathanial Atkinson, Aziz Behich, Martin Boyle, Nicholos D’Agostino, Jason Davidson, Milos Degenek, Kenny Dougall, Mitchell Duke, Denis Genreau, Craig Goodwin, Ajdin Hrustic, Jackson Irvine, Fran Karacic, Joel King, Mathew Leckie, Awer Mabil, Jamie Maclaren, Riley McGree, Aaron Mooy, Andrew Redmayne, Tom Rogic, Kye Rowles, Mathew Ryan, Trent Sainsbury, Gianni Stensness, Adam Taggart, Marco Tilio, Danny Vukovic, Bailey Wrigh
